People who write about writing and then get rich from teaching other people how to write about writing are literally scam artists. I'm sorry you've been taken advantage by them.

I think the journey is finding your own path to however you define success. I've found that the more enjoyable a task is, the less money you can make doing it - aside from those who find some kind of niche. I get paid a fair amount to do accounting because it's not very fun. And I write because I love to, knowing it'll never make me rich.

Thank you for sharing your experience! It helps all of us!